Seinfeld criticized for visiting Israeli counter-terror training camp

(JNS) Famed Jewish-American comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld came under fire this week for a recent visit to a counter-terrorism and security training academy in the Judea and Samaria community of Efrat. Seinfeld spent 10 days in Israel with his family upon visiting to deliver two stand-up comedy performances in Tel Aviv. On Jan. 9, the counter-terror training academy Caliber 3 removed photos of Seinfeld at its facilities after posting the images online a few days earlier.

“Finally we are allowed to tell you! Jerry Seinfeld and his family were in Caliber 3,” the caption on the now-removed photos had stated. “During their visit to Israel last week, they came to us for a special and exciting activity with displays of combat, Krav Maga, assault dogs and lots of Zionism. It was great.”

Culture writer Eric Thurm tweeted, “I can never unsee Jerry Seinfeld gleefully posing with a machine gun at an IDF fantasy camp,” while Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, tweeted that there is “nothing funny about occupation, colonization and profiteering off the theft of another people’s land.” Munayyer’s organization is on the Israeli government’s newly published list of 20 BDS groups whose “central figures” are barred from entering Israel.

Seinfeld was also criticized for his visit to the Ramon Air Force Base in the Negev, where he was photographed boarding an Israeli Air Force fighter plane.